


Those We Left Behind

by TheTruemeK



Series: C U R I O S I T Y  One-Shots [3]
Category: CURIOSITY - Fandom, Invader Zim
Genre: (a little)ZADR, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Dib is sad yo, F/M, Fluff, Happy Birthday DarkDarling, Homecoming, Irkens (Invader Zim), Knock-knock it's the Tallest, M/M, Older Dib (Invader Zim), Suicidal Thoughts, ZADF, dib's pov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:28:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21757576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTruemeK/pseuds/TheTruemeK
Summary: WARNING - The C U R I O S I T Y One-Shots series can contain massive spoilers for the main plot of C U R I O S I T Y!Please only read after reading chapter 120 first!Dib Membrane's life has changed after Zim escaped the attack of the Enforcer sent to kill him. In, it had changed for the worse. Now, without his friend/enemy/partner in crime, he feels like he is the one stranded on a hostile, alien planet, a planet where nobody believes his paranormal investigations, or wants something to do with them in the first place. Or with him. But then, fifteen years later, there's an unexpected knock on the door that will change his sad, sad, big-headed life forever... but will it be for better or worse?
Relationships: Dib & Zim (Invader Zim), Jenna/Set (CURIOSITY)
Series: C U R I O S I T Y  One-Shots [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/501646
Comments: 4
Kudos: 2





	Those We Left Behind

**Author's Note:**

  * For [xXDarkDarlingXx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xXDarkDarlingXx/gifts).



> Hello again my lovelies, Merry Christmas💕 and above all, a Happy Birthday to my sweet Dark Darling! I hope you like this little present I cooked up, and thank you so so much for everything 😘

### Those We Left Behind

Dib hated his life.

Each day was the same struggle, the next sometimes even worse. The weeks seemed to fly by in their neverending, mundane monotony, stealing the life force out of him, sucking the colors out of the world itself. It felt like purgatory sometimes. He caught his own gaze in the window reflection and stared at himself. 30, six foot and a half inch, jet black hair that he kept somewhat short and buzzed on the sides, except for that one long strand he could never style right and that had eventually become his signature look. Cinnamon colored eyes in a pale face, behind thick, round glasses that he also hated, wishing he could save some money to get his eyesight corrected with laser treatment while knowing at the same time he never would because all his measly income was spent to pay rent for this old, gross apartment, which was already the cheapest one he had found here. He didn’t know why exactly he had ended up _here_ of all places _._ Maybe because nobody knew him in this boring town, maybe because nothing here reminded him of his past. Maybe because here was just as well as literally anywhere else that wasn’t his hometown. Too many memories there.

It didn’t help that it was raining today, either. The sky was as grey as it could get, with heavy, suffocating clouds that obscured his vision on the sky, on the stars, the only thing he still found some other emotion for than irritation, boredom and desperation. He still spent hours staring up at the nightly sky, staring so hard until his eyes would feel strained and dry, in hope that maybe, just maybe, he'd catch that swift flash of purple cruising by.

No, the rain wasn't helping either. In fact, the rain made it worse because rain meant memories, more than were already haunting his mind 24/7. Memories of water-balloon fights, the smell of glue and scorched, green skin, terribly piercing shrieks, and then, later, of an oversized umbrella and waiting out rainstorms in the base...

"Stop it you idiot..." he whispered into the dark silence of his sad one-room apartment, his voice choked by anger and misery. "He's not coming back. He's never coming back. So just... stop." Yeah... why not stop altogether? It wasn’t like something was really keeping him here. His retail job was slowly but surely killing him, his dad was still so wrapped up in his work to change the planet for the better that he hadn't uttered more than a "Hm, yes, yes, good luck out in the real world, son!" when Dib had eventually decided to move out at 20, not able to stay in that house any longer. Gaz was already traveling the world then, living off insane prize moneys she'd win at the gaming championships all over, sponsored by Bloaty's and Poop-soda and other companies. He hadn't talked to them in over five years. Of course there were the annual cards for birthdays and Christmas, but apart from that? 

It was like he was a ghost. A living, breathing specter that nobody noticed. Someone who would have bothered to listen to him might have told him that he needed professional help, but ever since the disaster with Mr. Dwicky and the horrible abuse of his trust, Dib had dismissed the thought of seeking out a psychiatrist altogether. Not that he could actually pay a crook, or would for that matter only to get told that he was crazy, a lunatic and had to be locked away! If he _had_ some money to spare he probably would already be on his way up north, to Maine. There had been multiple rumors about possible UFO sightings lately on the network, and his old obsession was stirring to investigate! But as soon as the thought crossed his mind he had pushed it away again. What was the use? It would probably only be fake news again, some drunk woodsman who had seen a weather balloon or a plane. The only real otherworldly being ever had disappeared from his life fifteen years ago and since that day, his personal doomsday, all the wonders of the supernatural felt stale and fake to him. Not real.

He turned away from the window, his empty gaze traveling to the closet like it was being drawn to it by a magnet. It had done that quite a few times lately. A thoughtful, pondering gaze that saw through the worm-eaten wood, saw what was hidden away under mountains of wrinkled clothes that he didn’t bother to iron. He had gotten the gun ages ago it seemed, when he was still afraid the gigantic Irken, the Enforcer, would come back to kill him, too. He never did; yet Dib had kept it. He could…

Suddenly he found himself standing in front of the open closet, the gun in his hand. The dark steel felt cold and smooth. Comforting in a weird way. It was already locked and loaded, just the way he had left it. He could…

_Knock-knock-knock!_

Dib startled so hard he almost dropped the gun. He caught it and wheeled around to the door, his eyes wide and round behind the glasses that had slipped down his nose. Nobody had ever knocked on his door before, all his mail got deposited at a package station for safety. His brain was immediately in panic-mode. What was he supposed to do? Hide? Call the cops?! But then he shook his head, tucked the gun into the waistband of his jeans and slowly walked up to the door. His heart was beating a million miles per hours as he peered through the peephole. What he saw confused him even more. There was a young woman around his age standing in front of his apartment, a really pretty one, too. She didn’t look like she was lost, though; green eyes looked calmly and friendly straight into the door viewer, locking with his. He took a quick step back.

“Who- can I help you?” he stammered out, feeling the gun pressing into the small of his back.

“Hi, my name is Jenna! I’m looking for Dib Membrane?”

Dib cursed his own curiosity when his hand already closed around the door knob to unlock it and yank it open. Whatever this was, he should deal with it quickly. He stared down at the woman, Jenna, surprised to see how much smaller she was in reality. And how much prettier. He blushed and his hand cramped around the side of the door.

“Uh…” he only did and wanted to smack his forehead. Jenna smiled and her nose crinkled a little.

“Are you Dib Membrane? The son of the famous Professor Membrane?” she asked. Suddenly he felt a wave of disappointment and irritation crashing over him again; of course this had to be about his father and not actually himself. His anxiously tensed shoulders slumped.

"Ugh, if this is about my dad, forget it! I can't get you any autographs or t-shirts-" At his cold rejection Jenna looked dismayed, an expression of honest regret flashing over her features, and she reached out a hand as if to touch his arm before she pulled it away again, making his heart sink further.

“Oh, I’m sorry, no, that is not at all why we’re here!” she quickly replied and fell silent entirely when he took a step back, checking both sides with a nervous glance.

“We? Hey, who else is here?!”

“Calm down, we come in peace.” The deep, gravelly voice would have made him freeze on its own, but the huge shadow that fell on him the very next second was almost enough to turn Dib into actual stone. How had he not seen that huge man leaning against the wall?! Jenna threw her company a half warning, half concerned glance that didn’t help at all to make Dib calm down. The guy next to her was way over seven foot tall, nearly twice as tall as she was, built as broad as a brawler around the shoulders and he looked just as mean. His features were smooth and cut, clean-shaven from the crown of his head to the tip of his prominent chin. Clearly the type that would have bullied him in school for being small and scrawny, and above all weird. He stared down at Dib with a deep frown, dark eyes hidden in the shadow of a hooded leather jacket, thick, black brows furrowed. He looked _military_. Then Dib realized what the jock had said before planting himself in front of the door.

“You uh- come in _peace_ , huh? Am I missing something here? What is his about?! Are you government? Hitmen?!” he was even more panicked, now that this obvious threat had appeared. Jenna raised her hands again, one she placed on the arm of the guy, the other she held up towards him in a soothing gesture. A beautiful crystal glinted on her ring finger.

“Dib, this is my husband, Set. We have something very important to tell you, but we can’t talk out here. May we come in?”

He looked towards the man again. Her husband, huh? That didn’t seem right. There was something off about him, he could sense that. The way he stood, that intense glare, those long limbs.

_We come in peace._

He recoiled, a cold sweat suddenly turning his back to ice. His hands grabbed the door for support now and he felt like throwing up.

“You…” he wheezed, “you can’t be- this is a joke, right? Some sick prank!”

“Jenna, this isn’t working. He’s freaking out.” Set growled. She shot him a glance that clearly said _Not helping!_ , her thoughts visibly working. Then she slowly looked at Dib again, her face set in iron determination that made her look almost as dangerous as the giant. Dib was still frozen, clawing at the door, unable to move.

“What if you showed him? Just for a second.” She whispered. Set made a reluctant noise. Jenna nudged him with an elbow that connected with his thigh. “Come on.”

Set rolled his eyes but took a slow step forward either way, fixating Dib with a glare that warned him not to move a muscle. As if he would have dared to while within haymaker-range! The huge man bent down to him and pulled the hood back an inch, propping his arm up against the doorframe to block out the view from the side. Dib stared up into the hardened, clear-cut face, his own throat working against the urge to scream.

Then something happened to Set's face. It was only for a second, but in that short time he swore he saw the human face disappearing and beneath it green skin, bulging, crimson eyes without a pupil, shark-like teeth, and before he could do anything, his vision faded and his mind slipped into darkness.

When Dib came to again, he was lying on his back, the water-stained ceiling of his apartment over his head. He really had to stop drinking before going to bed, man, what a horrible nightmare! He slowly sat up on his couch and turned around, only to freeze when his eyes had adjusted. There they were again. The woman, Jenna, was sitting right next to him on the sofa, a worried look in her green eyes. He spun around and found Set leaning against the wall in front of the door, blocking his escape. He was trapped.

“What-“ he whispered thinly. “What the hell do you want from me?! He’s not here! He’s- he's been gone for almost-“

“Fifteen years. We know.” Jenna gently interrupted and slipped her hand over his on the cushion. The physical contact was like an electric jolt through his body and Dib flinched, but he didn’t pull his hand away. _Please_ , his mind cried out, _please don’t leave me! Please don’t be only more hallucinations!_ Suddenly Set spat out a hiss and Dib pulled his hand so quickly back he all but slapped himself. Jenna clucked her tongue in reproach, at her husband. “Cut it out Set, he’s scared!” Now Dib remembered what had made him faint in the first place and he began to tremble on the worn out sofa.

“You…” He looked around between them and moved away from Jenna as well now. “You’re Irken! I don’t have him, he’s- he got away, I don’t know where-" he was already spiraling out of control again, afraid they might kidnap and torture him to get information out of his brain and at the same time he felt this old excitement that he had tried to bury and smother all those years because it had only ever led to getting hurt, frustration and failure and-

“Zim.” When she said his name, it was like a spell that broke the shackles he had put around his mind himself, around his emotions. Dib knew he was crying, but there was nothing he could do to stop it.

“So… he’s really gone.” He sobbed out. “Oh God, I knew this day would come. You killed him, or- or your Tallest did and now you’re here because I helped him-"

“Shh, Dib, it’s not like that. Breathe.” Jenna murmured and scooted closer again to hug him. After a second of shock and fear he clung to her and allowed his tears to run freely, confused and scared to death, but it felt good to finally give way to everything he had bottled up all those years. He heard the Irken grumbling by the door but this time he couldn’t move away. Jenna squeezed him and then let go, his touch-starved body shrieking in desperation at the loss of contact, but he composed himself, took a shuddering breath and wiped at his eyes, removing the glasses. Jenna waited until he was a bit more settled again.

“Dib, we came a long way to find you. Actually, we also came to Earth to do a whole lot more, but you are just as important.” She gestured to Set. “Set is Irken, yes, but I’m a human from Earth. Maine, to be precise.” She shot him a crooked smile and he blinked rapidly.

“Maine? Those UFO sightings… that- was that you?” he stammered. Set gave another irritated grunt and now Jenna _snickered._

“I told him he should keep the camouflage on the _entire_ time, but nooo, it was nighttime and hoomans don’t see well in the dark! Isn’t that right sweetie?” She teased her husband, making alarm bells shrill in Dib's head. He wanted to tell her to stop aggravating the Irken, because he knew what a little threshold for impulsive violence they had when provoked, but then the _Irken_ did something even weirder: he bowed his head with a chuckle.

“Yeah, yeah, you were right. I can still see better in the dark than you, babe.” He replied, entirely calm. Dib's jaw dropped.

“What… are you sure he’s an Irken? Is he-" he lowered his voice into the quietest of whispers, “you know, a defect?”

“Watch your tone, boy!” the Irken suddenly snapped and pushed off the wall. His disguise fell away - like Tak he had used a hologram that was way better than Zim's crude disguise - and when the green, giant alien suddenly stormed right at him, clad in purple and crimson armor, looking every bit like the Enforcer that had destroyed Zim’s base trying to kill both of them, a fuse blew in Dib’s enormous head. With a reflexive speed, gained from countless fights with his Irken nemesis, he pulled the gun from his pants and pointed it first at the approaching alien and then at the woman next to him.

“Don’t move or I’ll shoot! I’m warning you!” Set froze as if Dib had actually shot him, the teeth-baring snarl slowly dropping. His crimson eyes were glued to the gun that quivered against Jenna’s head. He raised his hands cautiously in slow motion and took a step back.

“Jenna… it’s okay. You’ll be fine, I promise.” He said calmly to her but there was something in his eyes Dib had never seen before in those of an Irken. _Fear_.

“Get out!” he hissed through clenched teeth. “Get off this planet, I won’t allow your kind to harm humanity, never again! Go tell your almighty Tallest that!” This was it. The moment he had prepared for his entire teenage years. He would finally save humankind from the Irkens' warmongering! Jenna nodded towards the alien.

“It’s okay, Set. Go.” Dib shot her a confused glance but quickly looked back to the Irken, who glimpsed at the door, his long antennae drooping on his head.

“Jenna, are you sure?” He sounded unconvinced but she just nodded again and then mouthed something Dib didn’t understand. Immediately he pushed the barrel of the gun harder against the side of her head.

“Hey! What did you tell him?!” When he caught movement out the corner of his eye he spun back around, but the invader had merely put his disguise back on and strode out the door, bowing to not bump his head. It closed behind him with a quiet click. Dib blinked, entirely thrown off his game. “He… he just listened to you? How…”

“Dib, I know you’ve been through some hard times, it’s plain to see.” The compassion in her voice was so genuine that he faltered, the gun lowering because his limbs felt weak. Jenna turned her head towards him. Her green eyes were suddenly glowing with a pink sheen, eerie and ghostlike but it captivated him so much he just sat there and returned the intense gaze. Something was prodding at the edge of his mind, like a gentle hand, and he shook his head a little but the feeling stayed, slowly spreading until it had wrapped around his brain like a warm blanket. Jenna uttered a pained sigh, her shut eyes flying open. “Were you really that close to ending your own life before I knocked?” The question was only a haunted whisper, yet the effect couldn’t have been greater if she had screamed it at him. He looked down at the gun, paling in realization.

“I… I don’t-" Without another word she gently wrapped her hand around his that was clutching the weapon and pulled it out of his grasp. He let it happen, felt relief wash over him. The push against his mind got stronger, until he sensed something seeping through and he had to close his eyes at the strange feeling.

_We are not here to hurt you, Dib. We want to help you. You can trust us._

“What?” he mumbled. “What could possibly help me?” he opened his eyes again, tears once more swimming in them. “I have… I have nothing worth living for. I’m so…”

A pounding staccato of furious slams on the door made him jump up in start. His hand reached for the gun in Jenna’s grip but she moved away with the effortless swiftness of a trained martial artist, and put it into her jacket, holding her empty hands out to calm him. She was about to say something but never got the chance, as a grating voice already pierced the tense moment of silence:

“Dib-stink!! If you dare harm a hair on my Tallest-in-law I will end youuuu!!” the voice howled. _That_ voice! That high pitched, cheese-grater-voice he had never hoped to hear again, not in his wildest dreams!

In a flash he was at the door and tore it open, nearly yanking the doorknob out of its socket. And there he was. Still smaller than him, still scrawny, still-

“Why on Earth are you still wearing that hideous disguise?!” Was all Dib could blurt out incredulously. Zim pulled back the hands he had raised in fists to hammer against the door and stood akimbo, as tall as he could, raising himself on tip-toes in his black boots.

“Whyyyy is your head still so abnormally big hyooman?! I thought it would go away after your pooperty!” he shot back with a pout. Then they both fell silent, which would have normally been unthinkable in Zim’s case. But there he was, shy for an answer, insult or general screamed curses, looking insecure, also highly unusual for Zim. Dib felt weak in the knees, his mind suddenly empty. He barely sensed Jenna’s hands on his shoulders or noticed the giant Irken standing behind Zim, arms crossed in front of his wide chest.

“Let’s get inside.” Jenna said softly. “Don’t wanna alarm the entire neighborhood now, do we?” Dib just nodded faintly, eyes still locked with Zim’s. She carefully pulled him inside and Zim marched, _marched_ into his living room, throwing his legs as high as he could. Dib’s face did something weird and it took him a second to realize there was a smile tugging on his lips. Zim stopped in the middle of the room and took a long look around, hands crossed on his back before he turned to the rest of them, his mouth twisted in something that tried hard not to be outright disgust.

“It’s, uh… not hideous?” He tried and Dib couldn’t help the snort bursting from his chest.

“Oh come on, I know you think it’s awful! And you’d be right… but… uh…” He had to close his eyes; that dark vertigo was threatening to pull him under again. This couldn’t be real, there was no way that after fifteen years Zim would show up again just like that, and in that kind of company. It was a dream and the next second he would wake up alone in his hideous apartment once more and then he would-

“Dib, talk to me.” Jenna. She sounded concerned but stern, like she knew exactly what was going on. She sounded like a _doctor_.

“Dizzy…” he managed to mumble and then her hands grabbed his shoulders again, tighter this time. There was an immense power slumbering in her small fingers, as if she was actively trying not to crush his bones in their grip. He knew she wouldn’t let him fall. It felt… safe.

“Take a deep breath with me now: in…” he did as she told him, her calm voice brooked no dissent. “Hold…” He held it, felt the dizziness spell slowly subsiding in turn. “And exhale all the way.” Jenna made him breathe like this five more times, at the third time he already managed to open his eyes and look at Zim. He stood stock-still in the same spot, hands nervously hooking into each other. His face was grey as if he was close to throwing up. Eventually Dib was alright again and he squeezed Jenna’s hand on his shoulder with his own.

“Thank you.” He whispered. “It’s just… this is all so surreal, I never-" Zim’s eyes widened slightly when he kept his gaze locked with them, talking to the invader now, “I thought I’d never see you again. I thought you were _dead_ , Zim! Where were you?! Why- why didn’t you come back?” The tears were back again, with a vengeance this time, and shook him down to the core with every breath he choked in. Zim averted his eyes, his shoulders slumping. When Dib didn’t say anything else, the Irken raised his eyes a little.

“Zim… is sorry that he left you behind, Dib. But I had to get away so that the Enforcer the Tallest had sent would not target you! I lured him away, Zim did, and I lost him in an asteroid field like a smooch would a gersplooch! But…” he straightened further when Dib didn’t immediately yell at him and just listened. “Zim knew the Tallest would still be scanning for me, for my Pak, so I had to hide, far away from Irk and the armada. Zim had to stay lost without a trace so they wouldn’t kill the Dib, too.” Then he took a step towards him, his hands balled into fists. “Zim is sorry, Dib. I’m _sorry_ I left you on this _ffffilthy_ planet! No offense, my Tallest-in-law.” He added, towards Jenna, who merely laughed quietly and shook her head. Dib turned around to her.

“Wait, Tallest-in-law? You mean-" he shot around to Set, still by the door. His disguise was off again, the crimson eyes scrutinizing him, though now they didn’t look as mistrustful anymore. The giant Irken nodded.

“I am Tallest Set, ruler of Irk.” He said solemnly, and then he grinned, showing teeth. “I will graciously overlook the fact that you just threatened my wife and the mother of my smeets.”

“Wait, what?! Mother of your- is that even possible?!” he looked at Jenna in shock and dismay. He had never heard before that Irkens were even able to reproduce, let alone have children with other species! Had Jenna been abducted and forced into this marriage?! But the look she gave him out of those gentle, knowing eyes told him that this wasn’t the case. She nodded towards the sofa.

“You guys should speak in private, I believe you have a lot to talk about and we don’t want to intrude. Here,” she pushed something into his hands, a small device that looked distinctly like alien tech, “give us a call when you’re ready. We won’t be far.”

“Ready? For what?” She gave him a wink and then took Set's giant hand that he already held out for her. Once the Tallest was disguised again, the unlikely couple left. Dib just stared at the closing door, still so very overwhelmed and confused. Zim cleared his throat awkwardly. Multiple times.

“You- you’re a lot taller than Zim remembers.” He croaked and that made Dib turn his head so quickly he felt his neck cracking. _What?!_ Had Zim just given him a genuine compliment? He rubbed the back of his head.

“Well, you’ve- you’ve grown quite a bit, too.” He replied, but then he just couldn’t take it anymore. “What happened after you left? Your Pak, did you-" Zim nodded before he could continue.

“Oh, yes, yes, the extraction worked perfectly! It- wouldn’t have been as complicated to do with someone to help me but… you were right. It worked.” He said and Dib felt a huge weight fall from his chest he hadn’t even known about.

“So… you’re not forced to obey the Tallest anymore? Or, your new Tallest I guess. What happened to them anyway?! And why is your new Tallest married to a human, I didn’t even know your species could- uh… reproduce like that?” He suddenly felt his face coloring again, hard.” Zim shuddered viciously, his own skin paling at his words.

“Zim didn’t know either…” he hissed out, clenching his eyes shut. Dib blinked, his mouth falling open. This sounded as though the invader had… _seen_ something he’d rather not, and knowing Zim’s disgust for human bodies, he could already guess what it must’ve been. He chuckled and somehow found the strength to walk over to the couch and flop down on it, his legs grateful for the rest. Zim gave the rickety sofa a doubtful look but then followed his lead and hopped onto it as well, taking a deep breath. His Pak was still there on his back which probably meant that he had to wear it or else he’d change and wither away, as they had found out when Dib had stolen the weird backpack from him one time. The memory was an unpleasant one since the Pak had also altered him enough to scare the crap out of him, but it had ultimately led to them working together in order to help Zim survive. And leave Dib behind.

“What happened, Zim?” he said quietly and nudged the Irken's slim leg with his own. Zim shot upright and his face grew a darker shade of green at the contact, but then he jumped off the sofa again and began to gesture wildly while he talked.

He told Dib how he got away from the Enforcer and found an isolated moon hidden from the Empire’s reach, where he rebuilt his base and worked on fixing his Pak. Of course he succeeded, because he was ZIM and he was AMAZING! But then the invader faltered, his boisterous energy leaving him. Suddenly he looked sad, guilty and downright miserable, like the time when he had been without his Pak. Or that one time when he had found out the Tallest weren’t coming to Earth.

“When Zim was freed, I… had these thoughts, these… _feelings_. Zim realized how the Dib had felt: lonely and cast out even though he was among his own kind. They called you a weirdo, a freak. They called Zim those things, too, but it never bothered Zim because humans were inferior beings and the enemy. _The Dib_ was Zim’s enemy. And yet you helped me when my Pak was forcing me to contact the Tallest after they’d cut Zim off and taken my mission away. At first I didn’t understand at all why you would help me, the one who would enslave your kind and destroy your planet. I thought it was erratic, weak, and further proof that humans were inferior to Irkens. But then Zim realized that with me, the Dib wasn’t alone anymore. And… I wasn’t alone anymore, either.” He paused and glanced at him, the extremely weird contact lenses still not fooling anyone, as well as the black, now terribly matted wig he was wearing. But it was still Zim, his alien nemesis, then his reluctant partner and at some point…

“Zim realized that the Dib had become his friend. His only friend. And Zim couldn’t let anything happen to his friend. So I- I stayed away.”

Dib was shocked. He had theorized that cutting Zim’s Pak off from whatever long-range control the Tallest still had over him would help him abandon the Codes he had told the human about in one of the few clearer moments the Irken had had during their bumpy time of teamwork. Dib remembered those moments so vividly as if there weren’t fifteen years between then and now. He recalled one in particular, when Zim had been so weak from days and nights without rest, only trying to contact his leaders and scratching himself bloody. He had found him in the lab of his base, in front of the giant screen, sobbing and screeching uncontrollably. Something about this miserable image had compelled him to walk up to the Irken and… hug him. And Zim had let it happen. In fact, Zim had returned the hug for a whole minute before his Pak had rebooted itself, and before he knew it the Irken was trying to stab the ever-loving shit out of him with sharp spider-legs again!

“Didn’t it get lonely on that moon?” Dib asked, surprising himself. Zim was already about to shake his head, but then the Irken paused, his jaws working. He tried a laugh yet it sounded fake and died down immediately. Averting his eyes, Zim nodded.

“Yes.” He admitted, ashamed. “Zim… thought about coming back to this dirt-ball, many times. But the Enforcer was still out there somewhere, looking for Zim. They never give up. GIR was with me of course, but… you know how he is.” He added with a shrug and a sad smile. Dib eyed him, gnawing on his lip.

“Would you try to stab me again if I hugged you now?” he asked quietly. Zim took a sharp breath, ready to threaten him no doubt, but when Dib rose from the sofa the Irken fell silent, eyes widening. He was barely as tall as Jenna and Dib towered over him by an entire foot when he stood before the alien. There was a moment of cautious hesitation but then he pulled Zim to his chest and wrapped his arms around the bony Irken. “I missed you so much, spaceboy.” He hissed into Zim’s smelly wig. “My life has been one giant shit-show since you left! I- I’ve been so fucking lonely all this time!” He was sure Zim would fight him off with spider-legs and sharp claws any second now, but then he felt the tight squeeze of scrawny arms that slung around his middle and he choked out a relieved sob. “I still can’t believe you’re really here!”

“Zim missed you, too, stinkbeast.” Zim uttered, muffled against his shirt. “I’ve missed you, you smelly, bigheaded human!”

They remained like this for what seemed like hours, none of them willing to let go so soon again. Dib snuffled against the tears and rested his chin on Zim’s head. For the first time in his life, he felt whole, grounded and at home. When he became aware of this feeling he blushed again and was glad Zim couldn’t see it. But then the fear came back, jumped him like a pouncing animal. He trembled and held tighter onto Zim, afraid he would leave him again, afraid he would be alone once more!

“Please don’t go… please don’t leave me again.” He whimpered, frantic. “I don’t know what I’d do if you-" he couldn’t say it, and in his mind he already knew what would happen if he was left alone again, if he was left behind once more. “Zim, stay, please! You- can even try to take over the Earth again, I don’t mind, you can have it, I don’t care!” Now Zim moved away from him after all, and Dib barely held back the desperate cry trapped in his chest. The Irken looked up into his tear-streaked face, a strange expression on his.

“I can’t take over the Earth, silly Dib-human. The Empire is gone.” He said. Dib felt the tension in his body evaporating. He furrowed his brows in confusion.

“What do you mean, gone? Then why did your Tallest come all this way? Jenna said they were here for another reason besides finding me. I don’t- I don’t understand.” Zim interrupted his stammering with a gloved finger that he pushed into his face.

“Silence, Dib. Let Zim explain.” He shoved Dib until he sat down on the sofa again, and then the Irken told him about that fateful day over five years ago, when Jenna had crash-landed on his moon with a wanted, dying invader in tow who was rejecting his Pak, and the Resistance behind her. Dib’s eyes grew wider and wider while Zim explained in colorful detail how the Resistance had fought the Irkens on their home-planet, how they had discovered that the _Hive_ was the one controlling the Empire and the Tallest, and who had been responsible for the subjugation of countless planets through the Irken armada in his quest to find the perfect host. He told him about the role the Paks had played in this search, and how Jenna had ultimately defeated the _Hive_ and brought peace to the galaxy by freeing the Irkens from the Codes and their mental shackles. Zim proudly boasted about his own role in this final battle and how he had helped Tallest Set, who had slain the two former Tallest himself, to rebuilt Irk and establish peace treaties with the other races of the galaxy ever since. And that he had been named godfather to the twin smeets Jenna and Set had adopted as their own, Ria and Zar.

“My Tallest is here on Earth to reunite the Jenna with her human creators and to introduce you humans to the rest of the civilized galaxy so that maybe you stop being so inferior.” Zim finished his story and looked very pleased with himself. Dib had slumped on the sofa during this massive revelation, his brain still trying to make sense of all this.

“So… you Irkens can actually feel and relate to others like we humans do? You have a concept of _empathy_?” he mumbled, stunned. Zim immediately bristled and puffed up his slim chest.

“We can feel and relate _better_ than humans, yes! And our empathy is way more superior!” He corrected, haughty. Dib snorted and rubbed his face. Of course that still hadn’t been enough to change Zim’s personality at all.

“So, your Tallest and Jenna are really in love with each other?” he asked, curious, receiving a grimace from Zim.

“ _Sickeningly_ so! You’d think it gets better with time but no, it’s actually the opposite! I’ve tried to tell my Tallest that he doesn’t look impressive and regal at all when he keeps bending down to smooch the Jenna but he just smiles at me and tells me that _one day I’ll know_ , but it’s been many days now and I still don’t know why he would prefer this cuteness and cuddly-ickyness over looking scary and commanding!”

“He looked pretty scary to me…” Dib muttered under his breath, unheard by Zim who was only gaining momentum in his rant.

“But when _I_ try to smooch the Jenna to see what’s so great about it, he threatens to shoot me off the planet with an anti-matter canon!” Now Dib couldn’t help but laugh out loud, interrupting Zim in his rambling.

“Oh, I get why he wouldn’t be too thrilled about that, your Tallest seems to have a tiny problem with jealousy.” He snickered. “Aren’t there any Irkens you could try smooching? You know, for science.” It was meant as a tease but Zim took it seriously of course and shook his head fervently.

“The other Irkens are even _worse_! Ever since we stopped invading and conquering, Irk has become one big smooching-planet! Even Tak! Can you imagine? Her?! With the- and the- augh!” Dib sat up abruptly, alarmed.

“Wait, Tak is alive? But aren’t you two, like, enemies? She was so furious that you messed up her evaluation, she tried to kill us!” he reminded Zim. The Irken brushed the objection aside with a snort and a wave of his hand.

“Psh, nooo. I mean, I still don’t like her, because she thinks she’s better than me, which is just wrong, but the rest is all forgiven. And ever since she got a girlfriend she’s stopped bugging me. But now she has a girlfriend and they won’t stop smooching! In front of my house!!”

Dib shot Zim a lopsided sneer.

“Sounds like someone’s jealous.” Zim took in a scandalized breath, pointing out the window as though Tak was right outside.

“Meeee?! Jealous of heeer?! About ssssmooches!? Lies! _Liiiiies!”_ he was shrieking at the top of his lungs, his grating voice ringing in Dib’s ears.

“Okay, jeez, calm down, you don’t have to shou-" – “Zim needs no fffilthy smooches, he is immune! _Immune_! And Zim will prove it!” And before Dib could react in any way, the Irken had curled both hands into the collar of his shirt and yanked Dib down to his face, kissing him. When the cool lips met his, the human froze and felt the hairs in the nape of his neck rise as a shiver ran over his back. He didn’t dare to move or push Zim away. In fact, he didn’t _want_ to, and that made him hold even more still. Zim let the kiss linger a second, two, before he pulled away with a smack and a triumphant grin. “See? Totally immune! Zim doesn’t need more of that! Even though it feels warm and nice and makes my squeedlyspooch all fuzzy like it’s filled with horrible bees! Nonsense! And to prove that I will do it again.”

Dib’s heart was pounding painfully in his chest when Zim pressed a second kiss to his lips. He felt dizzy again, but in a good way, his stomach doing flips. Yet his mind was in utter turmoil. Zim was _kissing_ him! Why was he okay with that?! Moreover, why did he like it so much!? Dib had never had a girlfriend before, this was his first kiss. Okay, his second already within a minute, but still! Shouldn’t he have at least a little experience with humans before experimenting with aliens? His former arch enemy no less!

He caught his own hands pulling Zim closer despite the whirlwind in his mind, running them over his back until they met the cold metal of the Pak and traveled down again. The Irken breathed out a chirping sound against his lips and nipped at them with sharp teeth before he closed them with his own for the third time. If this was somehow still a dream, Dib hoped it would never end. Zim parted from him and it seemed like he was suddenly realizing what was going on, his big eyes widening at Dib, who immediately feared the unhinged invader would blame him for tricking him into more smooches and then everything would crumble and fall apart and he would be alone again because he had fucked it all up once more! Dib quickly pulled his hands back and held them up in defense.

“Zim, I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over m-"

“Oh.” Zim did, surprised. “I think I get it now.” And he grabbed Dib’s head in both hands and smooshed their faces together again, shutting the human up for good now. A thin tongue poked against his lips and Dib shuddered, opening his mouth a little tentatively and when Zim hummed appreciatively he met the tongue with his own, his hands reflexively wrapping around the slim waist and holding tight, pulling the Irken even closer until Zim raised himself up on his knees and crawled into his lap, closing the remaining distance without any inhibition, like this was where he belonged, like he already owned the place. Dib chuckled at that thought and leaned back, under immediate protest from Zim.

“Hey, Zim didn’t say you could stop!” the Irken complained but Dib just shook his head.

“Sorry, this is just… so crazy, think I need a minute.” Then he looked at Zim's pouty face and felt this little twist of anxiety in his guts again, replacing his happiness. If Irk was really peaceful now, there was no need for the Irken to try and take over the Earth, but that also meant that Zim had no reason to even stay on Earth either. “Are you… are you going back to Irk once Jenna and your Tallest are done here?” He heard himself mumbling and his heart was close to breaking when Zim nodded promptly.

“Of course, why would I want to stay on this horrible dirt-ball?” Dib shrugged.

“Iunno… I… I guess you could visit.” He muttered, the dark clouds gradually drawing together over his head again. Why had he actually thought life was going to look up for him for once?

“Visit? I never want to set another foot onto this planet!” Zim rasped and now he couldn’t take it anymore; Dib lost it.

“Then why even bother to come back?! If you just wanted to say _hi_ and then fuck off forever you shouldn’t even have come here in the first place, Zim!” he cried out, hurt, and pushed the Irken off of him. Zim stared at him with big, round eyes, looking so dumbfounded like he had no idea what the hell was going on. But then the alien slapped a hand over his face.

“Oh, that’s stupid! I thought the Jenna told you! That’s what the Chronometer she gave you is for.” Dib furrowed his brows in confusion and took out the little gadget the tiny Tallest-in-law had pushed into his hand before.

“This? What- what do you mean, she just told me I should use it once I was ready? Ready for what?” Zim nodded his head so hard the wig almost flew off.

“Ready to come to the ship with us! I know, Irk doesn’t have any bigfeet or ghost-vampire-spiders or bees, or that other thing you always ramble about, but it has aliens? And _me_! Zim! Everything you’d ever need!” The Irken paused. “Dib? Is your face okay? Does it need recalibrating again?” He already raised a hand to slap him but Dib gained control over his body and caught Zim’s hand in his own.

“Wait, you… you want me to come with you? Back to Irk?!” Again, Zim nodded.

“Of course, silly, that was my genius plan all along! Ahahahaha!” he cackled, excited, until Dib hugged him out of the blue.

“Thank you. Thank you for coming back for me, Zim.” And without hesitation he pushed the button on the Chronometer, to leave the Earth behind and finally see the stars from up close.

-

“Are you sure that’s all you need to take with you? Trust me, you don’t know how many things you actually need until you’re stranded in space without them.” Jenna warned with a solemn nod after she had inspected his one backpack and the laptop-bag. Dib shrugged, smiling. It still felt weird that it wouldn’t go away after not being there for at least ten years.

“That’s all. I’m good to go.” He was trying not to overly stare at Tallest Set standing behind Jenna with an ice-cream cone in his giant hand. It looked so weird! Zim walked up to his Tallest and kicked him lightly against the heavy boot to get his attention. Set’s eyes narrowed immediately at the smaller invader but when Zim made grabby-hands at him, the giant Irken sighed and dropped a huge handful of human snacks and sweets into the greedy claws. Jenna clapped her hands together.

“Alright, then let’s go! It will be a while before we’re actually going back to Irk, because we’re still here to introduce humanity to the rest of the galaxy, starting with the Irken race, which is probably going to be the most difficult introduction. But you’re free to stay on our ship or take one of the transporters up to the rest of our fleet if you want.” She said softly. Dib shot a glance towards Zim who was happily munching on his snacks, looking like he couldn’t hurt a fly. His smile widened into a crooked grin.

“Well, _someone_ has to watch Zim if you guys are busy with properly introducing an alien race to the rest of us. Trust me, you don’t want him getting bored, and I’m an expert on stopping his… schemes before they backfire.” Zim perked up at that and waved a lollipop at Dib in a threatening manner.

“Lies! Zim doesn’t have any schemes! Nonsense! Slander!” Jenna threw the small invader a doubtful glance and nodded towards Dib, whispering: “You’re right, it would be a huge weight of my mind to not have to worry about him. Thanks Dib.” They both snickered. But then Dib placed a hand on her arm and looked her in the eyes.

“I’m the one who has to thank you. For _everything_.”

A crimson flash in her eyes and her smile turned gentle as she squeezed the hand on her arm.

“Let’s get you home, Dib.”

The End

**Author's Note:**

> Aaah, so now Dib as well found his happy ending!! I initially hadn't planned to take this down the ZADR route, but a little smooching ain't so bad now, is it?


End file.
